Large filtering vessels are commonly used for filtering industrial chemicals, such as solvents, cleaning fluids, etc. Such filtering devices are of two different types. One type uses a filtering bag that is suspended within a liner within the filtering vessel. The fluid to be filtered is communicated into the bag, and then communicates through the wall of the bag and the liner to the fluid outlet. Another type of filtering device uses a filtering cartridge mounted within the vessel. The filter cartridge defines an outer circumferential surface which cooperates with the wall of the filtering vessel to define an inlet chamber. In either case, the bag or filter cartridge must be changed periodically, as the contaminants removed from the fluid being filtered are captured within the bag or within the filtering media of the filter cartridge. Accordingly, it is necessary for the filter cartridge to be easily removable and for a new filtering cartridge to be easily installable in the filtering vessel. It is also necessary to maintain a fluid tight seal between the inlet chamber and the outlet from the filtering vessel, so that all of the fluid communicated into the inlet chamber must communicate through the filtering media; it is undesirable that an with entrained contaminants bypasses the filter cartridge and passes directly to the outlet. It is further necessary to have a filter with a large surface area; a large surface area helps to lengthen the time a filter is usable before replacement and increases the filter's allowable flow rate. It is further necessary to produce a low-cost filter.